FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
National Federation of the Blind Defends Rights of Blind Students
Calls for Equal Access to Information and Technology in Americas Universities
Baltimore, Maryland (August 9, 2010): The
National Federation of the Blind (NFB) responded
today to recent attacks on the right of blind
students to have equal access to technologies
used by Americas universities and to the
textbooks and course materials offered by
institutions of higher learning. The NFB and the
United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights
Division, have come under attack in recent days
for reaching settlements with universities
requiring that the universities refrain from
purchasing any e-book technology that is not fully accessible to the blind.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National
Federation of the Blind, said: Blind students
must have access to the same textbooks and course
materials and the same technology to read them as
all other students. This is not only a matter of
fairness to blind students but a requirement of
federal law. For this reason, we applaud the
United States Department of Justice, acting at
our request and pursuant to its mandate to
enforce this nations disability rights laws, for
reaching landmark settlements with colleges and
universities ensuring that e-book technologies
deployed by these institutions will be accessible
to all their students. With the announcement of
a new accessible Amazon Kindle, the recent
introduction of the Apple iPad, and the promise
of future accessible e-book products­many of
which would not have been made accessible without
our advocacy efforts­colleges and universities
will find it increasingly easy to procure e-book
technology that benefits everyone. These
settlements benefit not only blind students, who
will now have access to the same books at the
same time and at the same price as their sighted
peers, but also institutions of higher learning,
which will no longer incur the administrative
burden of producing or procuring accessible books
through separate and inferior methods. To the
extent that inaccessible e-book technology
remains a barrier to the equal education of the
blind, however, the National Federation of the
Blind will continue to fight for the educational
and legal rights of blind students, and we will
not hesitate to call upon the Department of
Justice and other government authorities to
assist us in doing so when necessary.
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About the National Federation of the Blind
With more than 50,000 members, the National
Federation of the Blind is the largest and most
influential membership organization of blind
people in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
/>United States. The NFB improves blind peoples
lives through advocacy, education, research,
technology, and programs encouraging independence
and self-confidence. It is the leading force in
the blindness field today and the voice of the
nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened
the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan
Institute, the first research and training center
in the United States for the blind led by the blind.